The Beach

We are heading out first thing in the morning for a last minute beach trip.

Can't wait since my last trip got so messed up!

Now watch it rain the entire time we're there!

The video is up!

www.ewestwood.org/CR I had to let it play through once to get it fully loaded but the second time it played smoothly for me.

I'm SO proud of my Celebrate Recovery group and all those who participated.

I know the courage that it took for some of those people to be out on that stage in front of hundreds of people.

It was simply amazing. Words aren't adequate.

Cardboard Testimonies

Our Cardboard Testimonies went off yesterday in all 3 services without a hitch. I should have a link to the video of them sometime soon.

I am exhausted but they turned out amazing! I ended up with 24 participants and we closed the services during the invitation with the presentation.

We have already been swamped with comments, emails and phone calls from people saying it was the most powerful thing they have ever seen done.

People were openly weeping and flocking to the altars as we were standing on the stage, holding up our signs. I tried really hard not to look at people, but to look out at the words on the screens or I knew I would never make it through.

It was simply amazing and God was so present.

I can't wait to get the code to post the link so I can share it with you.

I think it was even more special to me because a lot of these ladies are in my CR group and I know what it took for them to stand on a stage in front of hundreds of people and share their secrets.

Now I can put that project behind me and get busy on the next one.

Also, I have accepted a job that I will start on August 17th. It is a pay cut and I hate that part but I did ask for several things and got them, including a 35 hour work week from 7AM--3PM each day. That will help me out with the boys and school.

John has his final interview with the CEO of this new company tomorrow at 2PM.

If we can get this nailed down then we both will have a new job to celebrate!

On the Go

Seems like whenever I sit down to update 100 other things pop up.

I'm busy working on Cardboard Testimonies for our Celebrate Recovery group and others to do in all 3 services at our church this weekend. This has been a huge endeavor but God has been so faithful to send me the people I needed to participate and helped me word their stories for this presentation. I can't wait for Sunday!

I'm also helping to coordinate a women's group to coincide with our Men's Top Gun group that starts in August and helping flesh out the devotionals for that.

Add that to my regular routine of housework and playing with Colin and I feel like the days are flying by.

He is slowly waking up from a morning nap right now then off to Costco we go to stock up on groceries.

Patrick and Josh are at YMCA camp this week so I get a little bit of a break. This is their last week of camp, however, and school doesn't start until August 13th so I am going to have my hands full with all three boys until then.

I interviewed for a job that would be 7-3 so if we can work out the scheduling/salary that might be a great fit. And at least it wouldn't be driving back and forth to Montgomery every day. It is a $15K pay cut for me but if this other job works out for John then we can make that work.

We have birthday parties and numerous church things going on this weekend then hopefully next week a little down time!

The S-E-X talk with my baby

It finally was at a point I couldn't avoid it any longer. Patrick will be 13 in November. He's going into 7th grade. I'm sure I'm actually late on talking to him but that's my baby! He isn't ready for the sex talk. He should still be climbing trees and playing with race cars and thinking girls are icky and gross.

Yeah, not so much.

I broached the subject gently to see how he would respond and he was so mature about it I could have cried. I anticipated some giggles and a red, embarrassed face but that isn't really what happened. At one point he smiled at me and said, "Well...this is awkward" but that was it.

We started with puberty and changes to your body. Boys vs. girls. We talked about boys viewing sex as more visual while girls view it more mentally and why this is very important as he approaches a healthy, ADULT sexual relationship.

And we talked about abstinence and protection. I know some will disagree with that but I thought long and hard on my stance with my boys and I decided to tell him the following:

God designed sex as a gift for 2 married people. It is a beautiful thing and there is nothing dirty or ugly about it until people take it and use it not as God intended and it becomes something He didn't plan.

That God and his parents want him to wait until he finds the woman he wants to spend his life with to make the decision to give his gift to her and only her...BUT that might not be the choice he makes. While that would disappoint both God and his parents that will be a choice he has to make one day and if he does choose to get involved in a sexual relationship before he is married that he needs to make sure he is protected from not only an unwanted pregnancy but also a whole host of diseases out there.

We talked about how hard a baby is...he sees that daily with Colin...and how that would change his entire life and any plans he has for the future. We talked about having to be on medications for the rest of your life or possibly losing your life because you have an STD due to unprotected sex.

And we talked about wanting to be able to come to your wife one day and tell her that you made the choice to wait for her. About respecting the person you are in a relationship with.

And we wrapped it up about talking a tiny bit about sexual violence and being in control of those raging hormones. About locker room talk and the desire boys sometimes have to brag and make things up that aren't true and how that can damage a girl more than they know.

All in all I think it was a good talk but I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that my baby is at a point I needed to have a talk with him.

Patrick did tell me he's never even kissed a girl but that will all change soon I'm sure.

Oh to go back to the days of climbing trees and playing with race cars. :o)

Colin goes in for the kiss

Colin's 1st Birthday--Monkey Theme

Family Shot

Mommy and Colin

Monkey and Palm Tree Cupcakes

Gift bags

Busy, busy, busy

Things in my corner of the world are very busy. I think even when I had a full time job outside of home I wasn't this busy.

We had our monthly neighborhood dinner on Tuesday night and it was our turn to host. I decided to hit the Farmer's Market and make a really nice fresh vegetable meal. We ended up with:

Fried chicken
Sauteed corn
Fried okra
Fresh red tomatoes
Greek Squash and Zucchini
Hot Cornbread
Red New Potatoes
Salad

One neighbor even brought a red, white and blue cake her daughter made so we had a fun dessert to top it all off.

Colin's first birthday party is Saturday so yesterday I worked on making gift bags. I wanted something to go along with his palm trees/monkeys and couldn't find anything so I bought plain brown bags and a palm tree stamp and made my own.

I also am making these adorable monkey cupcakes so I'll have to get a picture if they turn out okay.

The two older boys go to camp at the YMCA every other week and I am very thankful for it. Having all 3 of them home full time does not go well some days. But having them in camp means getting bags ready each night with 2 snacks, packing a lunch, putting 4 Gatorades and 2 water bottles in the freezer overnight, getting swim suits and towels, goggles and sunscreen packed and making sure they have their camp shirt on Field Trip days and money on lunch days when they can purchase something.

It gets a little complicated when their schedules are totally different. Patrick may have a Field Trip on Tuesday and Josh may have his on Thursday. They may have lunch days at different times too. Good thing I keep all this straight on the calendar!

This week they are at camp so Colin and I have the same basic routine. We eat breakfast then go for a walk around the lake and feed the ducks. He has started making a "Duh" sound for "Duck, Daddy and Dog".

After our walk we come in and crawl around on the floor. He has invented this game where he chases me as I crawl around couches and chairs and when he finds me he giggles his head off. My knees are not loving this game.

Around 9AM we watch 2-3 songs of a Praise Baby video (he LOVES these) and he takes his bottle.

Then I carry him upstairs and he lays down for a morning nap...usually an hour to an hour and a half. I lay him down awake and he settles right in. Worst case he may fuss for 2-4 minutes but by the time I'm back down the stairs he's good.

While he's napping I shower or do housework, return phone calls and emails and make a list of any errands we need to run.

After he wakes up we head out to do anything on our list and either grab lunch out or come back and eat depending on how many things we have to get done.

After we get home we play with toys and look at books. He normally repeats the Praise Baby and bottle deal sometime between 1:30 PM and 2PM then takes an afternoon nap for another 1-1 1/2 hours.

While he's down for the afternoon I work on dinner and every so often get to take a quick nap myself.

Today he will stay with my parents as I have a job interview in Montgomery. We'll just see how that goes.